Police, firefighters rescue trapped resident

Byram Township police and firefighters rescued a resident trapped on the second floor of a burning house early Saturday, Nov. 18, officials said.

The Police and Fire Departments were dispatched to 222 Lake Drive about 3:50 a.m. When officers arrived, they forced open the front door and found that the kitchen was on fire. Then they heard a male’s voice coming from the second floor, police said.

Fire Chief Todd Rudloff reported that Sgt. Thomas Dellicker tried to enter through the back of the house using a ladder while he and Patrolman Christopher Spaldo went in the smoke-filled house from the front.

Spaldo, positioned in the stairwell, ensured a clear path for Rudloff’s exit and Dellicker guided him to the trapped man.

When Assistant Fire Chief Michael Pellek arrived, he assisted Rudloff, who used a hose to put out most of the flames.

The two worked with fire Capt. Shawn Pond and Lt. Derek Plantamura to rescue the man on the second floor.

Spaldo and Dellicker, stationed at the bottom of the stairwell, provided essential support, Rudloff said. “The swift and coordinated efforts of the Byram Police and Byram Fire Departments culminated in the safe transfer of the victim to the waiting EMS crew.”

The man was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital by the Lakeland Emergency Squad and remains in stable condition, Rudloff said.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Byram Township Fire Department and the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Assisting were the Hopatcong Police Department, Stanhope Fire Department, Andover Fire Department, Picatinny Fire Department, Hopatcong Fire Department, Newton Fire Department, Mount Olive Fire Department, Hopatcong First Aid Squad, Stanhope-Netcong Emergency Squad, Stanhope Ladies Auxiliary, Sparta Fire Department, Netcong Fire Department, Sussex County Fire Marshal and Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office.

House fire in Byram

The Byram Township Police Department responded to a report of a structure fire at 29 Brookwood Drive about 1:10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18.

When police arrived, they found the house and a trailer parked in the driveway on fire. They confirmed that no one was in the home.

The Byram Township Fire Department put out the fire and the house was deemed inhabitable.

The fire is being investigated by the police, Sparta Fire Marshal and Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Assisting with the fire were the Lakeland First Aid Squad, Netcong Fire Department, Budd Lake Fire Department, Picatinny Fire Department, Andover Fire Department, Hopatcong Fire Department, Stanhope Ladies Auxiliary, Sparta Fire Marshal, New Jersey State Police, Red Cross and Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office.